A True Love
by alyssalue3
Summary: Alice might think that Cyrus is her true love but how will he relationship with a certain Knave change her mind?
1. Chapter 1

Note: I absolutely love the Alice and Knave pairing and refuse to expect anything else from the show so my story will not be completely accurate due to the fact I won't have the Queen and the Knave have past relations.

He remembers when he first met Alice. It was a few days after Cyrus had died. Or supposedly had died. The Knave, or preferably known as Will, worked in the Queens kitchen and had been forced to serve the criminals of the royal prison as punishment for stealing some tarts a few days prior. As he had walked into the prison he nodded towards Scott, the prison guard, and slithered past him to the last cell. "I have your food ma'm" Will said opening the small grate that allowed prisoners to gain access to their food. However, Alice had not responded, in fact she had not even moved from the corner farthest from door. "Just leave it their Knave," the guard said "she hasn't moved in days and I doubt she will." Will turned to leave but couldn't help himself and turned back towards the cell. "I don't know what's the matter with you love, but starving yourself is not going to make anything better. It'll just make you hungry." Will returned hours later to a still relatively full plate but written with peas was a small but clearly distinguishable thanks.

After that Will looked for chances to speak to Prisoner 26901, or preferably known as Alice. He would ask if she had any preferences for food or would relay some form of castle gossip to her. He never got much of a response but at least he was trying. One day Alice finally spoke up. "Why are you doing this?" He was surprised to hear her speak, and more surprised by the flip-flop sensation his stomach got when he heard her voice. Coming out of his daze Will stated "well, as I see it, we're both prisoners here, might as well make the most of it. Besides you just seemed so…" he paused to find the correct word "upset."

"How are you a prisoner?" Alice asked, completely avoiding Will's last statement. "Mi mum was forced into servitude to the late queen of hearts. I was raised as a servant and most likely will die as one too."

"You don't dream of something else? A different life?"

"Of course I do. But I don't dredge upon it. What's the point if there's no way it could happen?"

"Anything is possible Knave."

"It's Will."

After that Will spent much more time down in the prison. He would bring extra food for the prison guards as payment for keeping them quiet about his activities with prisoner 26901. Alice was, at first, reluctant to speak but Will slowly won her over with his… sarcastic charm. They became friends. It took time for Alice to tell Will about Cyrus. By then he had heard the castle gossip about the young lovers but it was heartbreaking to see how Alice was affected by the situation. And yet he found himself falling for a heartbroken girl. She told him about London and her father. How her mother had died and how Wonderland had been her true escape.

"When I was younger all I wanted to do was leave Wonderland."

"And go where?" Alice had asked.

" I don't know. That London of yours sounds kinda nice."

Alice sighed "it would be nice to go home."

Two months after Alice had confronted Will, he came up with an escape plan.

"It's simple" he told Alice.

"And you're sure it will work?"

"Positive."

The only thing he was positive about was that he would die trying to see her happy again.

The plan was simple: he would sneak the white rabbit into the palace by stating that he was going to be made into stew for the Queen. He had already paid the guards on duty to "be checking another cell block" at the time of the escape. The white rabbit would then create a portal for the two to escape together in.

But the plan went horribly wrong. After Will had swiped the key from the guards desk and enabled Alice to escape, the palace guards came rushing into the prison. They ran towards the courtyard, their predetermined meeting spot with the Rabbit. As they came running Will yelled "Rabbit, a portable would be very helpful right about now!" The Rabbit startled by the guards rushing towards him quickly began to dig. Just as Alice was about to jump down the rabbit hole, Will let out a terrifying scream. She turned around to see Will being dragged back by three guards.

"Will!"

"Go Alice!"

"But…" "No buts, this is your only chance go!"

With a last glance towards Will Alice jumped through the rabbit hole. She landed in what she quickly realized to be the forest behind her family estate. She should have been relieved, but all she felt was sorrow. She had lost her only true friend, and was now truly alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Will, however, was left to face the wrath of the Red Queen- which is not a pretty sight. He's sentenced to imprisonment until Alice can be retrieved from wherever she went to. If they are unable to find her, he will be put to death. In all honesty, Will didn't want to die, but if he does he's glad it will be for helping Alice escape. A month later, there's still no Alice and Will is sent to be executed. On his final night Scot, the first prison guard to find out about his and Alice's plan, slipped him a piece of paper. It said that at eleven after Will's confessional, which he has already decided to pass on, his cell gate will be left unlocked and that someone will be waiting for him in the corridor to the courtyard. He doesn't know whether this is a trap or not, but he doesn't have anything to lose and calls Scot back to tell him he'll have his confessional now.

The minister and he sat in awkward silence for a few moments before the man of God finally speaks up. "Son, you called me up here. Do you have anything to share with me or should I be on my way?" Will glances at the clock and saw that it was only 10:23. As the minister moved to call for the guards to return Will sputtered a no. "Alright then son," the minister says sitting back down "what do you have to tell me?"

"Is it a sin to love someone whose significant other has died?" he spits out the question before fully registering it in his mind. The minister looks taken a back but he quickly regains his composer. "No, it's not a sin but it does throw some complications into the relationship." Will smirks "I think we have more to worry about than that."

"Does this have anything to do with the young lady that helped put you in this predicament?" All Will can do is smile and the minister shakes his head. "I've heard about that girl- Alice I believe was her name. A past love is hard to get over son, you never truly move on. But that doesn't really affect you now, does it?"

"No, sir it doesn't."

The minister leaves and Will breathes a sigh of relief. He waits five minutes, for a precaution, and runs through the prison towards the doors to the courtyard corridor. As described in the note a burly man is waiting for him. He discovers later that his name is Steve. Steve sneaks Will out of the castle under the pretense of a laundry laky with his load, which has Will being transported in a very large laundry bag. After they get a ways from the castle Steve drops the bag to the forest floor with a loud mphf. Will gets up, brushing the dirt from his jacket. "So why are you helping me exactly" Wil questions as he falls in step with Steve. "Scot didn't feel right giving you up to the Queen. He asked me to help you as a favor." The rest of the journey is spent in silence until they come to Wonderlands underground.

The rest of Will's time in Wonderland is not meant to be described in this particular story. Let us just say that he evoked a huge debt to the caterpillar and the rest of the underlanders in his attempts to find the white rabbit and get a portal to London. He finally gets In contact with the White Rabbit a month later and plans to meet him in the Whispering Woods. The White Rabbit is waiting, impatiently Will notices. "You're late." Will shrugs his shoulders in response. "I can just leave" the Rabbit says turning to leave. "No! I'm sorry Rabbit really. Please help me." "Alright fine" and with that the Rabbit begins to dig. A few moments later the rabbit pops back out of the hole, a blue light now glowing fiercely.

"And this will lead me to Alice?"

"It will get you close" the rabbit responds.

"Then to London" Will says jumping through the portal.

The scuffling of boots is heard immediately afterwards, and the White Rabbit sees five armed guards marching his way. He turns to run but is grabbed from behind and brought face to face with the queen. "Well what do we have here?


	3. Chapter 3

Will lands surrounded by evergreen trees. He thinks that maybe he's landed in the forest behind Alice's childhood home but after walking what seems like miles he discovers a small town. He enters what he will later learn is a diner. The bright lights distract him for a moment but he eyes a woman behind the counter and makes his way over to her.

"Excuse me ma'am, could you tell me where I am?"

"You're in Edinsburg, Main honey."

"And how far away is London from here?"

The waitress looks up from the counter she's been wiping off and gives Will an odd look. "Quite a ways. Across the Atlantic honey."

"The Atlantic? What is that?"

The waitress, now very confused and concerned, replies "It's an Ocean. That separates America from Europe." Will's look of bewilderment unnerves her and she asks "Where have you been honey? Another planet?"

"Something like that." Will continues to explain that he ran away from a very bad place, afraid to mention Wonderland by name in case the waitress decides to send him back from wherever he's came. The waitress, named Mary, informs him that in order to get to London he must take a plane. A concept he discovers is somewhat close to taking the fairy in Wonderland. However, this causes money a lot of it apparently. He thanks Mary for helping him and turns to leave when Mary yells after him. "Do you have a plac to stay honey?"

"No ma'am."

"Here come inside. You can stay at the dinner for the night." For the night turns into the next two months as Will becomes a waiter at the diner. He rents the apartment above the diner, the rent coming out of his paycheck. The rest of his money is saved for London. However, as he sits one night watching what he has discovered is the telly, he discovers a movie called Alice in Wonderland. Its too much of a coincidence for him not to watch it and he is bewildered by what he sees. This Wonderland is nothing like his old home. He asks Mary the next day about it and she lends him her copy of _Alice's Adventures through the Looking Glass_.

He reads the book in one night perplexed by what he's reading. It's so different from his wonderland yet at the same time so similar. The only person that could have known about these details is Alice and yet there is no mention of him, the Knave of Hearts, or Cyrus. He comes to the conclusion that Alice must have moved on from her Wonderland days choosing to favor the happier details of her time in Wonderland and that he, Will Scarlet, is no longer thought about or wanted. His heart shatters.

He quits his job at the diner and travels around Main, looking for, who knows, a purpose now. He leaves in his track a trail of heartbroken women, all substitute Alice's who can't fill the hole in his heart. The last of which is Penelope.

She looks so much like Alice it kinda hurts but her laugh is beautiful and she trust Will, 100%. She's not secretive like Alice, or guarded. She asks for help when needed instead of claiming she can do it herself and it's kinda nice to be needed. He meets her in a bar in lower Main and swears he's fallen in love. However, the minister was right. You never truly get over a person. It's proven the first night Will and Anastasia decide to make love. They go to a hotel and he's awed by the sight of her. He thinks he loves her but in the heat of the moment he buries his head in her blond hair and moans HER name. More precisely Alice's name. Penelope pushes him off of her and quickly changes, leaving the room. He tries his hardest to chase after her but his pants are around his ankles and in all honesty, he doesn't really care. He's left in an empty hotel room with a throbbing hard on and only Alice to think of.

A week later he finds himself out of cash and in need of a place to stay and food. He enters a little town called Storybrooke, swiping the key off a waitress to gain accesses to the town diner. Then that bloody rabbit shows up and all he wants is to shoo him far away from him. However he says that Alice needs their help and all he can do is jump because he still loves her.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: It makes sense to me that Alice was not as completely heart broken when she first lost Cyrus as the show tries to perceive. I mean the moment Will arrives she immediately perks back up and takes somewhat of a control. Within the actual show all we've seen is Alice as this helpless damsel in distress with Cyrus. It's not true love, its more like the first stages of "puppy love." But with Will we see her as a heroine, able to take control of her own life and really be herself. So it would make sense in my story that she doesn't have her true emotional breakdown until after she loses Will.

Alice sat, one leg crossed over the other, across from the hospitals psychiatrist. In the past half an hour she had probably only mumbled a handful of words. "Well I guess that that concludes our session today. Any last thoughts?" Alice merely shakes her head no. Dr. Willson sighs audibly and rings a bell, the signal for the guards to come and escort Alice back to her room. She goes obediently, much different from her first few weeks. She had sent one guard to the infirmary with a broken nose and a busted lip her second day there. But she's accepted the fact that there is nothing she can do in her situation. Either Cyrus is gone, which even thinking about cracks her heart in another spot, or Wonderland was never even real, "their" belief of the situation. But looking back, at all of the adventures and people she met (and loved) she can't come to accept that side. So she chooses to believe her own reality.

It isolates her father even further. But then again he never truly was there to begin with. After losing her mother, his one and true love, he was never able to cope. Alice was just a daily reminder that she was gone. Now, after losing Cyrus, she understands why he pushed her away, why he never truly loved his little girl, and she no longer hates him for it. She's come to accept that as well. In fact with the experiences she now posses they could comfort one another, have a normal father-daughter relationship. But he had turned his back on her and left her to rot in this…this place. And that is one act she cannot forgive. So she spends her days staring at the ceiling and counting off the minutes, hoping that one day her heart will combust and she can finally be at peace.

She thinks a little of Will in the early days. The one true friend that she's ever had, in this world or any other. She thinks of him, a true prisoner in Wonderland now if the Queen has not already killed him. She was unable to save him just like she was unable to save Cyrus and he's added to her long list of mistakes she'll never be able to re-do. But as time goes on his friendship is pushed to the back of her mind as the doctors and nurses try to get her to forget. So you can imagine her surprise when he comes busting through her door. She wants to believe he's not here, that all those horrible things didn't happen, so that she can finally have so peace of mind. But he tells her that Cyrus is alive and he heart swells with hope that she flees for the chance to see her Cyrus just one more time.

She begs him to stay and help her. He's the only true friend she's ever had and she needs him more now than ever. A flash of…something passes through his eyes before he agrees. She convinces herself it was nothing but she's seen that look before. That look of a heart cracking.


	5. Chapter 5

He hates himself for staying. For putting himself through this. Getting to connect with her again digs up all those unsavory emotions he tried to hide when he realized that she would never truly be his. He doesn't even know why he's here. All he knows is that when he tried to leave her, taking those bloody wishes with him, he could feel a tug pulling him back towards her. Their hearts were already bound and he couldn't walk away from what probably would be his last fleeting moments with her.

But it's a lose-lose situation for him in the end. He either dies or he lives to see Alice reconnected with her true love. Both ways his heart is ripped from his chest and stomped on. At least this is what he tells himself as he walks behind her through the forest, her hips swaying in front of him and providing him with a decent view. His smart alik comments are meant to keep the conversations from becoming too deep or from blurting out his true feelings for her. But it becomes increasingly harder to put up this charade the further into their quest they get. And one night he does come exceedingly close.

They're at The Tea Shop, an underground bar connected with the rebellion, to meet with the "Doormouse" for instructions to get to Mount Isolation, where Alice believes Cyrus is being held. The Dorrmouse is always known for being more than a little tipsy and Will highly doubts he knows his own name let alone the secret entrance into Mount Isolation. But then again Will has been agitated and jumpy all night. Alice is the only female in this disgusting little bar and many of the guys keeping giving her leering looks. He scowls back at them and thankfully not a single one has actually gotten up and introduced themselves.

"Will," Alice says and he turns to see her turning back and forth on one of the bar stools "you look a bit…worn out. Why don't you have a drink?"

"Of this hog wash," he snorts "I'd rather not." Alice leans in her lips close to his neck and he relishes in her hot breath on his skin that he almost misses what she says. "It wasn't an invitation. I think the manager is getting angry with us just sitting here. Maybe if you buy something it will get him off our back." He looks toward the main entrance and is met by a stern scowl from the burly looking man Alice calls the manager. "Alright, but if I have to drink this garbage so do you."

An hour later and half a dozen shots of some very strong "tea" the Doormouse finally arrives. He gives a few papers to Alice and they share some hushed words before the Doormouse leaves just as quickly as he came. "All good" Will questions downing another shot? "All good" Alice responds. At that moment a rather large fellow saunters up to Alice. "Hey darling, would you like a drink?"

Will can obviously tell he is trying to hit on her but Alice responds just as polite as always. "Thank you but no" she states turning back towards the bar. However, the man grabs Alice by the elbow pulling her off the seat. "I don't take no as an answer, young lady" the man growls and Alice tries to swing at him but in her inhiberated state she poorly misses. The man laughs, pulling Will out of his daze. He jumps to his feet, a little tipsy but he quickly regains his balance. He walks up to the man poking him in the shoulder. "Sir" Will says hiccupping "let the lady go." The man laughs again. "Oh yah, and who's going to stop me?" Will brings his fist back and punches the man straight in the jaw. He reels back letting go of Alice to cradle his now bleeding mouth. Will takes the opportunity to grab Alice's hand and run. Hey don't stop running until there deep into the woods and sure that no one is following them. "Are you okay" Will asks panting? Breathing deeply Alice nods her head yes. "Thank you"

"Anytime love" and he truly means it. They build a fire but that night is particularly cold and you can see their breathes mingle in the air. They sit close together to keep warm, legs touching, and Will relishes in the contact. He's freezing his butt off, he gave his leather jacket to her so she would stay warm, and he can feel the alcohol start to take effect. He hardly has time to think before he blurts out "How did you know Cyrus was the one?"

"He's perfect in every way." He gives her a skeptical look and she continues "you may not see it but he's truly wonderful." He sighs and turns away from her. "And you love him?"

"With every fiber of my being."

"And how can you be sure? You've never had anything else to compare it to have you?"

"No…." and Will can tell the alcohol is affecting her as well as she starts to slur her words. "But I don't need to compare it. It just feels right."

"But that might just be the excitement of having that first time love. That puppy dog love. You guys barely even know each other." He almost shouts the last part and he can feel her tense next to him but there's no way to stop the words now.

Alice gets up and he immediately misses her warmth. "What are you trying to say Will? That we don't know true love? Because we do. He loves me."

"But do you truly love him? Or are you just playing, hoping it'll erase all that pain you've got from your daddy not giving you enough attention." She stands in shock, amazed that he would pick at that old wound. And how desperately he wishes he could take it back. But now he's said it and he can't unsay. Before he even has time to apologize she crosses over to him and takes his face in her hands and kisses him. Teeth clink against each other and his lips feel as if their being assaulted, which they kinda are, and its defiantly rasher then he imagined their first kiss would be. But it feels so good and after the initial shock he sinks into, settling his hands on her hips. But, too quickly, she pulls away. "See" she says a little breathless "no emotion. I feel nothing for you and that will be with any other guy because Cyrus is the one."

She turns away and curls into a little ball under the tum tum tree close to the fire to sleep. Will stands in shock for a few moments before he lies down to try and get some sleep as well. But her words and that kiss keep replaying in his head and he can't close his eyes without picturing what just happened. He knows that its probably all in his head but what she said after the kiss, at least to him, sounds like she was more trying to convince herself.

In the morning the pair doesn't go over what happened last night. Will is still somewhat in shock, wavering between believing it never happened and silently cheering that it did. For him, last night's experiment with the "tea" does not really affect him but this is Alice's first hangover. So he makes sure to be extra quiet. He wishes they had coffee with them but he settles for heating up some roots and berries in water in an attempt to make her substitute tea. It probably tastes horrible but she downs it in a couple of gulps and silently thanks him before they head out for the day.


	6. Chapter 6

She understands now why Will considered Wonderland a prison. It feels as if the woods are closing in around her, constricting her until she feels like she can't breathe. She feels it deep in her bones; the empty feeling that encompasses her without Will by her side. It was hard to walk away from him, or what was left of him, in the Queen's maze. She knew that something had been growing inside of her, a feeling she had been willing away, pushing into the deep recess of her mind, yet it would always come back stronger than before. She doesn't know when these feelings began but that there here now, with a force almost close enough to her love for Cyrus.

God is that scary.

Because she knows that this-this feeling of whatever it is, was never supposed to happen. Losing Will in the Queens maze was just as hard as losing Cyrus and it's hard to think about what that implies. She still loves Cyrus, there's no doubt in her mind about that. But now there's this doubt, and although it might be small it shines bright through her tough exterior, that Cyrus might not be who she truly wants. But she had promised him forever and she can't stand back and leave him in prison when her heart goes out to him. And then there's Will, left to stand as an ornament to in the Queen's gardens.

She flips to her other side for the 5th time that night and sighs audibly. When did things become so complicated? She tries to pinpoint the exact moment when visions of Will instead of Cyrus began to make their way in her sleep. Of his hands on her hips, of her lips on his, and of… other things she would rather not think about right now. If he were here right now she would be burning up with embarrassment, but as she turns over once more her eyes are meet with an empty wilderness. She huffs in frustration sitting up. What is she thinking? Cyrus is her true love, her only love. Yet she remembers Will's face, turning blue from a lack of oxygen and her only thought in that moment was helping him. It didn't matter if she had to use a wish.

She gets up. "Maybe a walk will help me clear my head" she thinks to herself. Her feet move involuntary and she finds herself back at the beginning of the Queen's maze. She stops at the entrance and leans against the hedges. Will's voice filters into her brain _"What if I was to tell you could be with Cyrus forever but someone would suffer because of it. Would you do it?" _She hadn't known at the time that Will was talking about himself but the signs came clear later on. The way he looked at her, the way he laughed at her plans but, for some reason, he always went along with them. Even after his own torment, through the obvious pain he was feeling, he had taken the time to make sure she was safe and away from Jafar. She wraps her arms tighter around herself, trying to keep warm. She knows now that he needs, no wants her and she comes to the realization that she wants him too. She makes her way towards him, needing his presence. She had stopped herself from touching him before, afraid what she would feel. Both physically and emotionally. But she's pulled towards him by an imaginary string. However, she spots Lizard and… the Queen? It seems like they all feel an attachment to the man named Will Scarlet. Alice backs away slowly, avoiding being seen.

It was stupid of her to go she realizes. Will is safe, for now, and in the protection of his precious Anastasia. He doesn't need Alice. Cyrus needs her, and Alice is content to help her true love. Together, her and Cyrus can free Will.


	7. Chapter 7

Authors Note: So I take back what I said in the beginning of the story. I am going to have the queen in the story because she's been so fixed into the show that it conflicts with how I was originally going to create this story.

He staggers out of the maze on clumsy feet. He has the pins and needles feelings shooting up his spine but all he can think about is finding her. That and the fact that never has oxygen tasted as good as it does now. The old man with the kart finds him crazy (and he wouldn't be surprised if he isn't a little bonkers by now) but he's so desperate for water he doesn't care. That's when he runs into the path of Vermin and Earl, two ruffians from his thieving days in Wonderland. Will plays along that Alice "caught them by surprise" instead of the more likely scenario that they were hoping for an easy snatch and ended up getting their butts kicked by a little girl. But at least they are able to point him in the direction of said companion.

He hates the black forest. Why can't Alice take the easy road just once in her bloody life? It's another reason he both loves and hates her (but mostly loves, he could never truly hate Alice.) He comes into a clearing that reeks of poppies and…. happiness? If happiness even had a smell. (He would like to think it smells a lot like Alice's hair but quickly shakes that thought away.) Suddenly she pops up out of nowhere, like a daisy, and runs towards him with a smile on her face. It feels good having her in her arms but he can tell something is wrong. This is not his (never his, she's Cyrus's) Alice. He never realized the true unhappiness she went through after Cyrus left but seeing her now, without a worry in the world, is unnatural. He wants her to be happy, that's why he's helping her, but not like this. Not with some spell or poison bringing her fake happiness. Even in her clouded state though, she has the fighting tactics of a warrior. The only way to bring her around is to remind her of her dreams, of what real happiness looks like. So he tells her about his heart, hoping that maybe she'll see past this fog and realize that he cares for her the only way his empty chest knows how. But it takes memories of Cyrus to get her out of the bloody forest. (It's another reminder that he will never be enough for her.)

He's still there to pick up the pieces of her heart as she comes too. It hurts to see her in pain but it's even worse to know that she's never had the chance to be truly happy in the first place. If anyone deserves to be happy it's Alice. He tries to distract her by saying thank you. He really did not want to spend the rest of his days adorning the queen's lawn. But learning that Anastasia is the one that saved him is troubling. Alice looks so hopeful, like the thought of Anna and him together is the greatest idea in the world. (It only brings him grief because it already failed once and even with his heart back in place it would belong to Alice, only Alice.) But he knows that Alice just wants him to be happy too, it's one of her fatal flaws, and true happiness can only be felt with a heart. He sees the look in her eyes when she asks where it is. The thought of another adventure after they find Cyrus, by then he'll be long gone. It's already late for him and Anna he wants to explain to her but when her pendent starts glowing he realizes it's already too late for him and Alice as well.


End file.
